Blog Tour: Shimmer by Paula Weston

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Shimmer
by Paula Weston
Read: June 17 - 18, 2014
Published: March 8, 2016 by Tundra Books
Source: From publisher (THANK YOU!)
Category: Angels, Demons, Memory-loss, YA/NA
Series: The Rephaim #3
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | Indiebound

Description: Gaby thought her life couldn’t get more complicated.

She’s almost used to the idea that she’s not the nineteen-year-old backpacker she thought she was. She can just about cope with being one of the Rephaim - a 140-year-old half-angel - whose memories have been stolen. She’s even coming to grips with the fact that Jude, the brother she’s mourned for a year, didn’t die at all.

But now Rafa—sexy, infuriating Rafa—is being held, and hurt, by Gatekeeper demons. And Gaby has to get the bitterly divided Rephaim to work together, or Rafa has no chance at all.

It’s a race against time - and history. And it may already be too late.

Note: Click to find my reviews for Shadows and Haze, the first two books in the Rephaim series. 

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Shimmer is the third book in Paula Weston's Rephaim series. If these books are not on your radar yet, it is time to add them, because they are compulsively readable and addicting. This series has also been so much fun to discuss with fellow readers, as information about Gaby's past slowly unfolds throughout each installment. Now is also a perfect time to start reading, because you won't have to wait as long to find out what happens next! 

If you are new to this series, and want more information on what these books are all about and why you should be reading them, start with my thoughts on Shadows. It was too hard for me to talk about Shimmer without giving away some details about the first two installments, and part of the fun of this series is not knowing what is coming, as you try to figure it all out with Gaby. 

If you are already invested in this series, I don't think you're going to to need a lot of convincing to keep reading, but for more information on what to expect in book three, 

Here is my five point breakdown about what is happening in Shimmer: 

1) Gaby + Jude - I love a strong sibling bond, especially twins, and from the beginning of this series, Gaby and Jude's relationship has been of my favorites. Even when it broke my heart in the first book, I was desperate for more of these two. This installment features a lot of Gaby and Jude time, and I could palpably feel the strong bond between them, as well as their struggle to understand who they were and who they are. Although Jude has fit back into this world much easier, both Gaby and Jude share loss that no one else can fathom - loss of memory, and almost of each other, the loss of a shared past they don't remember, and the difficulty of trying to fit into a society that seems to know more about them than they do. 

2) Gaby + Rafa - From the first scene these two shared in book one, Gaby and Rafa have had so much intensity between them that it smolders off the page, and that tension continues to build in this installment. Soon they will catch on fire…I hope they don't get too burned in the process. I was equal parts cheering and biting my nails at the progress they make in this book. I want so much for them to be together and happy, but I know things will change between them again when Gaby gets her memory back.  

3) Sanctuary + Outcasts - For the first time in ten years, both factions of Rephaim are together in this book, which is a lot of strong personalities - with a lot of shared history and hurt - in one place. Although this book does feature action, including a big rescue mission, this installment focuses a lot on the politics and interpersonal relationships between the characters and the different Rephaim factions. We also get a lot more information about the Angel/Demon mythology, especially pertaining to the Fallen. In some senses this book was a bit quieter than the first two and felt like it was setting up for the big finale that will come in the final installment, Burn. 

4) Relationships - I've said this before, but it is the relational aspect of this series and not the overarching mythology plot that has made it such a favorite for me. Gaby's ache to figure out who she is - between people's expectations of her past character, her own fake memories and what she knows of herself now - is one of the best parts of this story for me. As is watching her reform relationships with characters she's known before. When she gets her memories back, will she be Gabe or Gaby or a combo of the two? I've not been able to stop considering that question since this series began. 

5) Cliffy - The ending of Shimmer is another cliffhanger. It is much more revelatory and anticipatory than stressful, in that characters aren't literally in the midst of "hanging off a cliff" in danger as they were at the end of Haze. But it made me no less anxious to get to the finale. You will be desperate for the next book when you finish this! 

In sum: Shimmer is another great installment in the Rephaim series. It is a little quieter than the previous two, but continues to focus on relationships, which is my favorite aspect of this series. I love these books so much!

Love Triangle Factor: None!
Cliffhanger Scale: HIGH on anticipation, Low on immediate danger.